It wasn’t pretty by any stretch, especially early, but the Laney Wildcats did what they needed to do to notch a pivotal 37-26 win against Region foe Washington County Friday night at home.
Laney (3-2-1, 1-1 in Region 4-AA) used a strong third quarter to erase a halftime deficit and wrest control away from the Golden Hawks for good, despite a promising start for WACO.
After scoring a field goal on the game’s opening drive, Laney quickly fell behind 14-3, thanks to WACO’s solid defense forcing multiple punting situations that put the Hawks in prime field position.
It didn’t take long for Laney to strike back offensively, though. And when it did, it did so often.
From their last possession of the second quarter until late in the fourth, Laney poured on 27 unanswered points before WACO ever found the end zone again. The barrage started when Javaris Harris connected with Twanorrin Brown for a 42-yard touchdown pass with one minute left before halftime. It was the ensuing drive after WACO’s rushing score that put them ahead 14-3.
The Wildcats played inspired football from the beginning of the third quarter, starting on defense when DJ Dagger intercepted WACO quarterback Cameron Beasley. Several plays later, Harris turned the turnover into points with a 5-yard score on a keeper to put Laney on top 17-14 with just over nine minutes left in the third.
Defense struck again with a a forced fumble and recovery, followed by Harris finding Dagger for a 15-yard scoring strike. Harris tacked on another short touchdown run while Nicholas Turmon put things out of reach with a pick six that put Laney up 37-20. WACO would add a garbage time score at the end of the game to make it look more interesting, but it truly was a tale of two halves wherein Laney dominated the second.
Though early in region play, the Wildcats have full control of their postseason destiny. They’ll face Josey next Friday on the road before coming home for back-to-back weeks against Westside and Putnam County — the two toughest region opponents remaining on the schedule — before closing the regular season at Glenn Hills on Nov. 3.
Win out, and Laney will rest no lower than second in the region standings, which will give it home field advantage in the Class AA playoffs for at least the first round.
Harlem wins second straight
Elijah Evangelista scored a pair of touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 43-6 rout of Cross Creek in what was the Region 4-AAA opener for both teams. The Bulldogs (4-2, 1-0) continue to bounce back strong after a couple of early-season losses. This latest win comes one week after impressively upending a stout Aquinas team 47-42 in shootout fashion.
The win sets up a key region showdown next week between Harlem and Hephzibah (5-1, 1-0). The Rebels opened their region play with a 34-0 win Friday night over Salem. Meanwhile, Cross Creek (3-2, 0-1), which saw its first action on the field since the infamous Savannah game, will look to rebound next Friday against Richmond Academy which lost 56-7 to Morgan County Friday night.
Here’s a look at other final scores from across the CSRA:
Laney 37, WACO 26 | FINAL
Harlem 43, Cross Creek 6 | FINAL
Burke County 37, Wayne County 32 | FINAL
Evans 16, Lakeside 15 | FINAL
Aquinas 28, Lincoln County 21 | FINAL
Hephzibah 34, Salem 0 | FINAL
Hammond 42, Augusta Christian 10 | FINAL
Thomson 55, Josey 7 | FINAL
Putnam County 28, Westside 15 | FINAL
North Augusta 63, South Aiken 21 | FINAL
Thomas Jefferson 28, Augusta Prep 6 | FINAL
Westminister 50, David Emanuel Academy 22 | FINAL
Silver Bluff 37, Fox Creek 0 | FINAL
Brunswick 42, Grovetown 0 | FINAL
Visit theaugustapress.com over the weekend for more coverage and analysis of our other Friday night football matchups.
